Joseph Garbarla enjoyed the red-streaked sky at twilight as he walked slowly through the small village of corrugated-iron huts.   A cooling breeze blew through the Aboriginal village, bringing with it the sweet smell of eucalyptus from the surrounding forest of red, blue, grey, and ghost gums.

Ahead of him strode an attractive gin in her late twenties, swinging her hips provocatively as she walked.   Garbarla blushed at the sight of her near naked body.   Although he had been back among his tribe for a dozen years now, the half-breed was not yet used to seeing women of the tribe walking around topless in summer, with only the tiniest of loin-cloths to cover their genitals, leaving their buttocks revealed.   Just as the men of the tribe loved to tease him for his ignorance of their ways by calling him the “white boy” or “white man”, he knew that the single younger women flaunted their nudity around him, enjoying his red-faced embarrassment and wide-eyed stares.

They had almost reached the forest beyond the edge of the village, when the young gin turned round as though looking to see if he were still behind her.   Garbarla saw the beautiful dark-chocolate coloured face of Lucy Gabadabadana grinning cheekily, obviously aware that he had been following her.   A subtle lift of one eyebrow told him that she was well aware of the effect her nudity had on him: taking him to a state of great arousal and equally great embarrassment.

Although at twenty-eight she was a spinster by Aboriginal standards, Lucy was one of the most sought after unwed women in the village.   Garbarla knew that by his animal totem he would be allowed to court Lucy, having (he hoped) subtly discovered her animal-totem, however, his natural shyness held him back.   But seeing her toothy grin as she looked round, Garbarla smiled back and started to jog to catch up with her….

Until the smile was wiped off her face, replaced by a wide-eyed look of horror….

“What?   I…?” said Garbarla, shocked, hoping that she didn’t think he had been following her to attack her.   “I was just,” he began.   But before he could finish, “going the same way as you,” she screamed, turned and fled away from him.